Turns 1-10
ARVN forces move forward. They come under occasional MG fire and AK fire from scouts. At turn 3, shock and awe happens. 24 B-52s unload their payload around Quang Tri. Their main targets are the Citadel, the bridges, the entrance to the city and the Pagoda. Whole city blocks are leveled, while VC have serious casualties in men and material. B-52 strikes are visible on the map with the orange stars.
3/4/147 marine company (1) advances south. It encounters light resistance and minefields and it receives 60mm mortar fire, but manages to reach 200 meters from the Citadel. The advance is temporarily halted, since the lead elements receive fire from a bunker at (2) and there is also a PT-76 guarding the road. Air support is called to deal with the threat.
1/4/147 marine company (3) also advances south as shown. They encounter slightly stronger resistance since in addition to scouts, a couple of NVA squads open fire at them. 82mm mortars also land on the troops of the company, causing casualties. Nevertheless, thanks to the battalion’s 81mm mortars and close quarters combat the Marines manage to eliminate their opponents. 11 casualties suffered so far.
To the east, the 1/147 battalion (4) advances through the rice paddies and the lead elements are 500 meters away from the firebase, which is shelled by 155mm artillery. No signs of enemy activity yet. 5 casualties suffered so far.
The ACAV platoon at (5) also advances slowly, hoping to reveal NVA forces. The dismounts are fired upon by heavy MGs from the northwest, but no enemy is revealed yet.
2/5/2TF para company (6) advances inside Quang Tri. They encounter VC resistance that causes casualties (shown in map as red lines). 60mm mortars and two UH-1 gunships help the paras in their fight. 3/5/2TF para company encounters lighter resistance, but they also make slow gains. 9 and 4 casualties suffered so far for 2/5/2TF and 3/5/2TF respectively.
Finally, 1/11/2TF para company (8) advances from the south, where it encounters an NVA platoon shown on the map. The paras are temporarily halted, but thanks to 105mm artillery they manage to make their enemy fall back. Many houses around the area are booby trapped. The company suffered 1 casualty so far.
So far my casualties are light (30 casualties in total). North Vietnamese casualties are definitely higher, thanks in large part to the air strikes. However, things will surely change in the narrow streets that the fight will take place from now on…